The Study Partner
by Glee-1D- R5-5SOS
Summary: Ever since he walked through the doors of McKinley High, Ryder has wanted Marley Rose to be his. However, she's dating Jake Puckerman, the resident bad boy turned romantic and one of his best friends. But now as Marley and Ryder get closer as she helps him overcome his dyslexia, will Marley's feelings change? (RYLEY/JARLEY, WITH RYLEY AS END GAME, MOST LIKELY...)
1. Chapter 1- A Promise

Chapter 1

Marley sat there, staring into Ryder's eyes. "Ryder, I, I can't." She looked away, shyly, and got up from the couch the two had been sharing.

"Don't go," Ryder said, standing up as well and taking the girl's hand.

"I have to. This isn't fair to Jake. I came over to study, and now that we're done studying I'm going to go. My mom is expecting me home anyways." She grabbed her book bag from the kitchen table and left the house.

There Ryder was again, so close yet so far to finally having Marley in his arms. What he had wanted ever since he had set foot in McKinley High.

Ryder's mom walked into the living room, holding a tray of cookies clearly meant for himself and Marley. She was surprised to see only him sitting on the couch."What happened to Marley?" she asked.

"Nothing. We were just done studying," Ryder explained, biting his lip.

"Well, I'm very happy you were studying. And so will your father. Your grades have been improving, and your dyslexia is getting better." She gave him a little tap on the shoulder and left the room, leaving Ryder all alone again.

He stared down at his Biology assignment, the letters all jumbled up like a spider web. For some reason when Marley was here, his dyslexia went away. But when she was gone, it was back again, worse than ever. During school, it was a constant struggle for him. Marley wasn't always there beside him. And by the looks of it now, she never would be.

Marley drove home frantically, wanting to get away from the situation with Ryder as quickly as possible. The guilt weighed her down like a ton of bricks. She loved Jake. She loved him, and she couldn't do anything to betray his trust. There was something about Ryder though, something she didn't want to admit to herself. She parked her car in the driveway and walked into the modest apartment her and her mom shared.

"Hi Mom." Marley walked over to where her mother was, at the stove as usual, and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Hi Marley. How was the studying with Ryder?" Millie asked, turning around to face her daughter.

"It was good." Marley looked down at the ground, not wanting to share any details about how it had ended.

"It's a good thing you're doing. You're really helping him."

Marley couldn't help but smile when her mother said this. "Thanks Mom. I love you."

"Love you too, baby." At that, Millie went back to cooking, trying out new recipes that would satisfy the kids of McKinley.

Jake Pukerman paced around his room. 5:30. An hour and a half until he was set to meet Marley for dinner at Breadstix. "Marley, Marley, Marley." He shook his head, thinking of his girlfriend. She drove him crazy sometimes. He walked over to the nearly empty closet and picked out some khaki pants and a polo. If he was going to do what he was planning, he had to look the part.

He had picked out the ring a while ago. He had just been shopping with his brother Puck, and he saw it. It just kind of shot out at him. There was no possible way that he COULDN'T get it for Marley. After the Valentine's Day fiasco, when it had actually been Ryder picking out all of the gifts for Marley, he had to show her that he knew how to make a girl feel special. Tonight would be the night when he was going to do that.

Marley twirled in front of the mirror in her bedroom in her brand new, long, pink dress. Was she even skinny enough to wear it? She placed her hands around her waist. _Don't do this to yourself, Marley. Hopefully Jake will like it_, she thought. She turned towards her nightstand and saw the blinking red numbers of the clock. 6:45. She threw some last minute make-up into her purse and was back out into the car again.

After driving through the dark streets of Lima, she pulled up into the small driveway of Jake's house in Lima Heights. _Deep breath. _Marley went up to the door and knocked, starting to walk away as Jake answered it, pulling her in for a kiss. They stayed there for a while, until Jake pulled away, staring into Marley's eyes. She scolded herself for remembering looking into Ryder's eyes just a few hours ago.

"Ready to go?" he asked, offer ing her his arm.

"Sure," she answered, taking it.

They ended up in the small parking lot in about 15 minutes, and Jake once again offered Marley his arm.

"We have a reservation," he told the hostess once they were inside.

She sat them down at a small booth near the back of the restaurant.

"This is perfect," Marley whispered.

"Wait until we get the unlimited breadsticks and salad," Jake teased. Marley laughed.

The couple sat and waited for some sort of waiter to come up, and Jake became tired of waiting. He walked over to Marley's seat, kneeled down on one knee, and took out the small ring box he had been holding in his pocket.

Marley clearly shocked, tried to get Jake to stop. "Are you sure you want to do this?" she asked.

"Yes," he said, "Marley, this isn't a proposal." Marley, clearly assuming that it was a proposal, blushed in embarrassment.

"Oh," she said.

"It's a promise ring. A promise I'll be faithful to you forever. You make me a different person. Since I've met you, I've kind of dropped the bad boy persona. No more anger, no more 'too-cool-for-school.' I love you Marley." Jake looked up at her, staring into her ocean blue eyes that make him melt every time.

"Jake, I don't know what to say." Marley held back tears. "I love you too." Jake slipped the ring onto Marley's bony finger and planted a passionate kiss on her lips.

Ryder sat in his room, tossing his stuffed soccer ball towards the ceiling again and again. Wait, wasn't Jake supposed to meet Marley tonight? And give her that ring? Even though Ryder had _tried _to talk him out of it. He walked over to his desk, picked up his cell phone, and dialed his friend's familiar number.

"Hello?" Jake answered.

"Hey, it's Ryder."

"Hey Ryder. What's up? it's kind of late." Ryder looked over at his alarm clock. Midnight.

"Sorry, I was just checking in to see how your date with Marley went. You know, with the ring and everything."

"It went really well. She's actually here right now." Ryder heard Jake click the speaker button.

"Hi Ryder!" A familiar voice cooed. Marley was _there? _Right now? His stomach dropped.

"I've got to go guys. I'll see you at school tomorrow." Ryder hung up the phone, placed it back on his desk, and forcefully kicked the bedpost. It was settled. He would do anything he could to get Marley to love him.


	2. Chapter 2- Crush

Chapter 2

Marley walked into school. It was Monday morning, and she dragged herself around like a zombie. Jake was waiting by his locker and came up to his girlfriend as soon as he spotted her and planted a kiss on her lips.

"Morning babe," he said.

"Morning." Marley smiled at him.

"How are you feeling after that dinner last night?" Jake asked, nudging Marley's arm.

She giggled. "Still a bit sick. I ate way too many of those breadsticks."

"Well, the place is called Breadstix," Jake tried to explain. The couple began to laugh. Then suddenly, the double doors leading into school opened.

"Is that?" Marley asked.

"Yeah, it's Ryder," Jake finished.

Ryder walked down the hallway wearing a leather jacket and a pair of aviator sunglasses with his hair slicked back, greaser style.

"What is he doing?" Marley looked over at her study partner wide-eyed.

"I have absolutely no idea. Let me go up and check on him." Jake walked up to his best friend and taped him on the shoulder.

"What do you want, Puckerman?" Ryder asked, taking books out of his locker and placing them in his bag.

"I was just coming to say hi to a friend. What's so wrong about that?" Jake asked. Ryder just rolled his eyes and walked away.

Jake walked back over to Marley, shrugging his shoulders. "I have no idea what's gotten into him."

Ryder walked to class, wiping tears from his eyes. Had Marley even noticed his new clothes? It was all for her. If she was attracted to Jake, he had to act like Jake and she'd come crawling to him. At least that's what he thought would happen.. Now he was walking to Algebra alone and Marley was back there making out with Jake, same as before.

"Hey." Ryder looked for the source of the voice as he walked into the classroom. It was Kitty, sitting at a desk in the front row, filing her nails. "Come sit by me." She patted the seat next to her and Ryder sat.

"What's up, Kitty? You like never talk to me."

"I'm just wondering about your new outfit." She gave Ryder a once-over again. "It's not you at all!"

"I just felt like changing it up." Ryder bit his lip and stared down at the ground.

"You sure it has absolutely nothing to do with Marley?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Why would you think that?" he let out a nervous giggle.

"I can tell." Kitty rolled her eyes and stared down at the for once completed homework lying on her desk.

"Okay, maybe it has a little to do with Marley," Ryder admitted.

"You really like her don't you?" Kitty asked.

"Yeah, is it that obvious?" Ryder hoped that Marley couldn't see through him as easily as Kitty could.

"Only when you're drooling over her in the choir room or coincidentally dressing up like her boyfriend." Ryder had no clue what to say, so he took out his homework as well and then was saved by the bell.

"Just keep your cool, Ryder. Keep your cool." Kitty picked up her backpack and left the classroom, leaving Ryder alone once again.

Mr. Schu walked into Glee Club rehearsal with his coffee as usual. "Hey, kids." Marley and Jake were sitting on the top row of risers, cuddling. It was all Ryder could do to not burst out screaming and crying.

"Okay, okay. Jake, Marley, hands off each other for a second." Mr. Schu looked at them, and they gingerly pulled away.

"Now, Jake and Marley if you want to actually sing to us, we'd appreciate it." Jake and Marley looked at each other and nodded. They slowly walked to the front of the room, hand in hand the whole time.

"We're going to be singing 'A Thousand Years' by Christina Perri," Marley explained. The class became silent, probably preparing themselves for the wave of emotion to come. Ryder rolled his eyes.

_I have died everyday, waiting for you._

_Darling don't be afraid, I have loved you for a thousand years._

_I'll love you for a thousand more._

They were staring at each other intently, and you could feel the passion they felt for each other as they sang. As the song drew to a close, Jake leaned in and kissed Marley on the lips. Ryder was pretty sure he whispered, "I love you," but there wasn't a way to be positive.

Tears were building in Ryder's eyes again, but he couldn't let anyone see. Especially in his new bad boy persona. "Mr. Schu, I'd like to sing," he said boldly. Everyone looked over at the small boy sitting in the first row. When was the last time he had sang for all of them? Kitty flashed him a smile and gave him a little pat on the back.

"What are you going to be singing for us, Ryder?" Mr. Schu asked.

_"'_Crush' by David Archuleta." He walked up to the front of the room, took a deep breath, and looked straight at Marley.

_'Cause the possibility, that you would ever feel the same way about me_

_It's just too much, just too much. _

_Why do I keep running from the truth? _

_All I ever think about is you. _

_You've go me hypnotized, so mesmerized. _

_And I've just got to know._

_Do you ever think, when you're all alone_

_All that we could be_

_Where this thing could go?_

_Am I crazy or falling in love? _

_Is this real or just another crush?_

_Do you catch your breath, _

_When I look at you? _

_Are you holding back,_

_Like the way I do?_

_'Cause I try and try to walk away,_

_But I know this crush ain't going away. _

Marley sat there, tears beginning to fill her eyes as well. "Ryder, can I talk to you in the hallway?" Marley asked. Ryder nodded, and Marley stood up, but Jake took her by the shoulder. "Jake, it's fine. I've just got to ask him something. Don't freak."

"Marley, I don't want you out there with him alone," Jake said.

"No, I'll be fine." Marley broke free of his grip and they walked into the hallway.

Ryder and Marley stood there, staring at each other. "Ryder, you know I'm with Jake. And i love him."

"I don't care, Marley." Ryder leaned in and kissed her forcefully, almost pushing her into the wall. Marley pulled away.

"RYDER!" She screamed, and walked back into the classroom, not looking back. Ryder stood there and sunk onto the floor.


End file.
